August 4, 2009

Jobless Grad Sues College

Suing your college because you couldn't find a job? This certainly sounds outlandish, but with the amount young people (and their parents) have to pay for college nowadays, it's easy to understand their frustration!

This woman went to a small local college in New York, not one of fthe elite schools, but just about every college nowadays is quite expensive. She claims they did not do enough to help her after graduation, but they point out at they did send numerous emails with recommended job openings she could apply for, as she continued seeknig employment. Shat do you think, does she have a case here?

"Court papers showed that Miss Thompson claimed the college's career centre did not provide her with the right advice or tips on available jobs. "They have not tried hard enough to help me," she wrote about the college in her lawsuit filed at the Bronx Supreme Court..."

Jobless Grad Sues College

Posted at August 4, 2009 7:59 AM

Comments

Education is nothing more than a business. Once you have purchased the product (education), there isn't much in it for the school anymore. This being said, the school likely did not break any laws. No case.

Posted by: Matt at August 4, 2009 11:52 AM

I recently graduated from college and am currently working on a masters. I tend to think that at this stage of life it is my responsibility to do things on my own instead of having everyone else do it for me. I believe that graduating with a degree is somewhat of a rite of passage into adulthood; therefore, this person should step up into that adulthood and find her own jobs and opportunities. It isn't the job of career services to do all the work for her. My bet she didn't even walk into that office to ask for help but rather sat back and wanted career services to do the work for her.

Posted by: recent grad at August 4, 2009 1:02 PM

Being the wife of a recent MBA grad and seeing what he has gone through for the past 8 months in not being able to find a good paying job, makes me understand what Ms. Thompson is feeling. The university that my husband got his BA and MBA degrees from ($75,000 worth) market their school, prestige, cirriclum, reputation and services to get people to do business with them. Education is a business. The services...Job Placement, Career Couseling, Resume Writing, Interviewing Skills Counseling are all tools of their marketing strategy. Though they don't guarantee that they can actually place you in a job after you get your costly degree, they imply it to get you to enroll. The universities are located in "Academia". A fantasyland far, far away from the real world, the real world of recession and depression. They want us to beleive that with an education, we will get good jobs. It just is not true. They take your money, give you a piece of paper and a goofy hat with a tassel and send you out into the real, cruel world with $75,000 worth of debt you will struggle to pay for 10 years. But still no good job. I think we will sue too!

Posted by: DJ at August 4, 2009 5:37 PM

you also must understand alot of those little career colleges promise job placement after you graduate but once you get that degree or certificate youre on our own with a false promise which made u choose their school thinking you would hav a job when u graduate so i think she has the right to sue under those conditions so don't be so harsh talking about it's the student laziness when wantng the institute to help her with job placement every situation is different and alot of schools are misleading and only out to get your money and leave u jobless and in legal aide debt....

Posted by: harold rhodes at August 4, 2009 10:52 PM

I understand Ms. Thompson's frustrations - I recieved my BA in 2003 and went for my Master's. With 4 children to raise, this was a difficult task to complete but I just knew the end result would be well worth it. Wrong! I failed out of the Master's one semester before graduating. My youngest daughter became ill and I had to take some time off to be with her. All my professors stated they would help and they understood. Wrong again. I could go on and on about the lack of support I recieved from my professors and the college I attended but my point is - The lack of support from college's does happen, they are certainly not exempt from being another place of business that look out for their own. Now, $80,000 to pay back - I have checked with local attorney's but since our college plays such a big part in our community - no one wants to touch this case - I am looking at other options! So, Ms. Thompson, if you have documented proof to back you up - go for it and I wish you the best.

Posted by: dg at August 4, 2009 11:38 PM

Wow. I read this and I thought of myself, I too, graduated not soon after this young lady thinking the same promises. While,however, I do have to give my advisor for credit for helping me out as much as she could. She e-mailed me for awhile for job openings and one of them I even got but apparently I wasn't equipped with enough skills and the place I began working at just wasn't right for me and so they fired me. I'm ashamed to say that because I worked hard, taking over 3 years to complete two Associate degrees in a local college and I now have nothing to show for it but an $8, 18 hr a week job that is not related to the field of my coursework. Nobody wants to hire me because I don't have experience you would think after going to college for 3 years that would count but it doesn't and unfortunately the place I did work at briefly whom fired me, didn't really train me to refresh some of my skills. I take responsibility for the mistakes I made but I did try. I keep telling everybody college was a waste of my time. And sadly, my daughter had to suffer for over 3 years of tons of homework and time taken away from her for nothing. College only really seems realistic anymore if you're going to be a doctor, nurse, or something with a lot of credentials.

Posted by: Spytfyre at August 5, 2009 2:14 AM

You honestly believe a school should guarantee a job for you? What kind of fools are you? If a school could guarantee a job for you then a few things would happen:

1. You would have a list of jobs when you enter college and work for one of the limited spots.

2. Some people change majors and schools which in turn would leave "open" jobs.

3. Any school that guarantees a job is usually a vocational or IT school that DOES have connections in the job market.

I would have loved to open my acceptance package and read "...not only are you selected for our school but here is your future career..." When this is all done I hope the school counter sues her for the amount of money she put into school and finds someone that really wants to go and can not afford to. Grades and money are not the only tools you need anymore to get into school because they are all being overflooded with so many people.

When this is all done I sure hope she can say "would you like to supersize your meal for $1".

Posted by: Anonymous at August 5, 2009 2:22 AM

Before I went to school and graduated with two degrees, the future for me looked gloomy. You know what? It still looks that way, current economy! Its all about whom you know too. Its true. Don't get me wrong though. You do get jobs if you put in the work after graduating. Going to school and finishing is just half of the battle for landing that dream job, which I am still chasing after in this globalization economy. The computer has made quite a lot of repetitive jobs easier and thus cut many people out of certain careers. You just set-up and program the dumb machine and it does the job that would in the pass, would have required a human to perform/monitor, for example. However, in the pass, someone could have worked their way from being the mailroom clerk/office help to become CEO for the company, but not anymore. Bottom line, the buyer always have to beware. This is going to be a really tough case, but the courts would not allow this to happen simply because of all the other unsatisfied customers these universities/colleges have produced. The courts will always side with the business entities.

Posted by: Sammi at August 5, 2009 2:30 AM

People, this is why we are going backward in our powerful and world famous country,SAD. why? because we always blame other party but not correct ourselves. To success in life, 80% is from your personality and only 20% from education. So, higher education is only for you to jump up faster with better opportunity, but somewhat without education, you still can be a succesful person if you work hard. WORK HARD, and HARDER, never give up to find your right field. STOP BLAMING, START THINKING and find your way. GOOD LUCK.

Posted by: LK at August 5, 2009 2:34 AM

@ Matt:

Education is not a business. Education is a tool.

Posted by: Sammi at August 5, 2009 2:40 AM

Oh come on! Let's be real, if this girl had half a brain she would realize that schools can make all the "promises" they want, but have no LEGAL obligation to find them a job. If she's having a hard time finding a job in this current situation, too bad, because a lot of other people are, too. I just recently graduated with a B.S. and I'm having a difficult time finding a decent job, but I'm not going around blaming anyone else. Obviously her degree is nothing related to legal studies, stick to what you know sweetheart. There's no way this case has any merit.